I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think that’s what it means.”
She laughed. It almost sounded maniacal.
I probably should do the spell and get this over with. It seemed like she wasn’t particularly comfortable waiting.
“I know,” she said, “but I still wasn’t worried. Worst case scenario, it wouldn’t work. Best case... we all receive a gift that most witches don’t even know exists.”
I cocked my head on the side. “Why not?” I asked. “Isn’t this book a commonly published one? I know it looks old, but still. Certainly, most magic users have access to it in some form or another.”
Bella shook her head. “No.” Her voice seemed calmer than she had been, which was good to hear. “It’s handwritten, and from what I’ve read, I’m pretty sure it’s one of Mother’s relations that wrote it, which means it belongs in our family and our family alone.”
I looked down at the book. I marveled at the detail. I didn’t know why I didn’t notice it before. The paper was thicker and more brittle than most spell books. I was almost afraid to touch it, as though it would shatter with even the lightest of caresses. My fingers itched to trace the printing on the parchment. It was obvious it had been done with ink and a quill. The lettering was perfect and slanted to the right slightly. Strange notes in a different hand cropped up in corners and under incantations. These looked more recent.
“Wow,” I murmured to myself. I lifted my eyes to Bella. “You’re right.”
“I know,” she said with the confidence only my bookworm had.
I laughed, rolling my eyes. I was glad to know that she wasn’t just throwing herself into this, that she had taken the time to do her research. Then again, I would expect nothing less from Bella.
“Now that that’s settled, let’s get to it then,” I said.
I crossed the room to stand in front of her. She stared up at me, waiting, as I mouthed the words before I spoke them out loud. The last thing I wanted was to say something wrong and for her to come out of this with a second head.
When I was confident I had the right words, I began to read the enchantment aloud. Without warning, wind filled the room and whipped around me. Strands of hair slapped my face and tickled my eye lashes but I was too afraid I would lose my place in the book to brush them away.
I got to the end of the reading and it said to repeat.
I inwardly cursed, making sure not even to mouth the bad word. I wasn’t sure what to expect if I had.
Regardless, I repeated the incantation. I was more confident with the words once I’d finished the second time
, that I was ready to go a third time if the spell required it.
The magic swirled harder, stronger, but the glow in the end of my wand had not begun.
When it said to repeat again, I did. I kept doing it, just as the text stated. Apparently, it was completely subjective. I would repeat the incantation until it was time to release. Once I felt it was ready, I would stop. It was a strange spell. I wasn’t sure how I felt about using my intuition to guide me along. I preferred it when someone told me what to do rather than relying on myself to help me along.
I began to speak the words again, focusing on my sister, what she wanted, and let the power flow through me. Something warm trickled through my chest. It started right where my heart was and swirled through my blood. It flowed through my body, soaring through my senses until I felt the light burning so bright inside of me.
The light appeared on my fingers. It went from bright, like the sun, to a glowing pink. My eyes widened. It was only when a prickle teased my fingertips that I shook myself from the daze and remembered what I was doing and why I was doing it.
I kept going, repeating the spell over and over until as the light shifted to a deep, rich ruby. It was as if the colors were bleeding into each other.
My gut tightened and I knew this was it. This was the moment when I was supposed to let go.
I finished the spell for the sixth time and pointed my index finger at Bella with the final word of the enchantment. I let out a slow breath and felt a release inside of me. All the magic that had been building up in me, all the warmth and tingly feelings that kept me buzzed with energy, gathered at my chest and began to seep from my fingertip.
The ruby light shot across the room like a shooting star, bright and beautiful and hard to look away from, straight into her belly. She stumbled back.
She began to shake and collapsed onto the bed. I dropped the book and raced to her bathroom to get a towel.
I shoved it into the sink and ran cold water over the towel until it was soaked. I knew how I felt yesterday—and hot was an understatement.
When I hurried back into the room, Courtney was hanging over Bella, looking deathly white and worried. Her eyes shot to me, and without words, pleaded with me to do something. I didn’t know what I could do other than to offer her comfort.
She looked down at Bella, chewing her bottom lip as though she was debating with herself over something. I held the towel in my hands as Bella slowly raise her head, the pain clearing from her face.
I slung the cold towel over her neck and brushed her hair out of her face.